Long, long way to the Seireitei (Training/closed)

[Raphael Laurent]

He was following the stealthier Luca as best he could, but his friend was far more capable in the lands of covert action than Raphael was. He wondered how Luca would be taking this. Was all of this still a game to the young man? Was it a thing where he thought that it was a competition? What was running through Luca’s head? It didn’t matter. Raphael wasn’t really in this for the Shinigami powers or any other stupid, useless crap like that. He’d come there, specifically, to help Luca and make sure the young man was safe, while he pursued this odd necessity of his. To Raphael, he wasn’t that concerned. The power of the living, when used correctly, could easily compete with the power of these…weird pajama wearing samurai.

Yet, he heard his friend say to go back to the world of the living, lay low and then come back right before tossing him the doorknob. Why in the hell…? It occurred to Raphael that he was being a hindrance to Luca’s ambition. Unlike his friend, Raphael couldn’t hide his reiatsu very well, and so was a beacon to the Shinigami that was hounding them. That was annoying and merely underlined his lack of skill, in this particular area. But it also gave him a plan. If this Shinigami wanted to play the bloodhound, well, then by all means Raphael would allow him to. Hell, he would even give him a bone to chase, as well.

As Luca started to move away from the area quickly, Raphael, smiled. The doorknob was flying towards him, but Raphael gave a quick flick of his wrist, using fullbring to pull it towards his hand, just like Kazura had trained him to do. Then, he set off in a different direction, calmly walking, at first, and then running and parting the crowd as he did so, hoping to draw the shinigami’s attention to himself. He moved quickly away.

He sprinted, putting as much distance between himself and Luca as possible, heading down a back alley and jumping over a few boxes and, in general, make it seem as though he was trying to escape. Then, when he found a fairly open area down an alley he stopped, reached into the robe he was wearing and pulled out the doorknob, before sticking it into the open air. Assuming that Kaen had decided to follow HIM, the Shinigami would see a large doorway open up in time and space, with Raphael, beginning to step through into an alley in the human world.

Your move, Shinigami...

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen was a persistent sort, and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, watching closely for any sign that would give the two away. He was tracking the feel of their reiatsu's. They were close. At least one of them couldn't mask his presence very well. They might be able to avoid his notice if they stuck to crowds, but that was a false protection that would quickly erode. They could try throwing up hats or hoods to mask their features but that too would be a temporary shield at best-- if anything Kaen's focus would be drawn to anyone wearing a hat or hood as suspicious and he'd quickly move to get a better look at their faces.

And then he saw the trick he was looking for. A surge of movement as of one running down an alley. Nice try. Kaen sprang from rooftop to rooftop at high speed, until he was right over the alleyway that Raph was sprinting down. White hair? Confirmed. Only one of them. In other words, a distraction. Sacrificing himself to bail out his more stealth-adept comrade. Admirable. But mistaken. As soon as Kaen saw Raph open the doorway, Raph would, if he was paying attention hear a soft whooshing sound. Then he would, quite instantly, feel a hand on his upper arm, yanking him back with indomitable force. Kaen's grip was like an iron clamp, and his pull was as inexorable as a machine. Raph possessed incredible strength by human standards but compared to Kaen's it may as well have been a child trying to break free of the grip of some ferocious beast. As for speed, Kaen had used Shunpo to close in on Raph before he could run through the door, traveling at a speed of 7500.

"I would strongly reconsider reconsider your actions." Kaen advised, still in a cheery tone of voice. "And if you have a way of contacting your friend, I'd do your best to call him over. You probably don't want him getting found out by someone else right? You clearly recognized me, but you're not one of mine. For your sake, I'll let you know that I'm willing to hear your explanation for what's going on here. I can't promise that the same offer will be extended to your friend if someone else catches him first." Kaen cautioned. Despite his warning his tone was... surprisingly cheerful and polite. "In the interim... I believe I extended an offer for dinner, didn't I? Why don't we go have a bite to eat?"

The exact dialogue might well change if Raph's doorway had some properties to pull Kaen into the human world along with him, but if not it was unlikely Raphael would be able to avoid Kaen's Shunpo grab attempt.

[Raphael Laurent]

As he’d expected from a shinigami, the man followed him almost to the letter, believing their ruse, apparently, that they were shinigami that had snuck out. Raphael, didn’t know and didn’t really care; after all he wasn’t one of them and didn’t have any actual stake in the functionality of the Seireitei. Already he’d gained more than he thought he would’ve from such a trip into the realm of the dead, though it was less a realm that it was a full blown dimension. And as the door was opening to the human world, and the buzzing and honking of cars echoed into the doorway, Raphael heard a light sound like air passing by and then felt himself get yanked backwards. Yet he hadn’t made a move to attempt to run away.

“Is that so?” Raphael asked with a bit of an odd smile. “Well then, I don’t see anything wrong with trying to speak with you, for a little while anyways.” He couldn’t help but chuckle, as he looked at Kaen. There was so much that this man didn’t quite understand, among them that the shinigami Akihiko Watanabe was, in actuality, the human fullbringer Raphael Laurent and he was rather close to admitting that but then sucked in a deep breath and shouted. “Saito-kun!! You might wanna come over here. I got caught, unfortunately. He says that he wants to talk to us.”

Raphael didn’t know how Luca would respond to his call, and so, he let out a powerful burst of spirit energy, hoping to call the other man back. “Well, there we go… It really depends on how he decides to respond, whether he keeps on running or whether he comes back to see what’s going on.” Raphael flexed the arm that was being held by Kaen a bit, then looked from the doorway to Kaen and back to the doorway. “Can I at least close the door?”

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca wanted to scream for Raph. This wasn't how this was supposed to play out. They weren't supposed to meet any shinigami for at least another 5 or 10 districts! A captain. Why did it have to be a captain? Of all the low level scrubs they could have met, they just HAD to offend some bigshot. Raph had a perfect escape, and STILL he was caught. Luca wanted to be mad at Raph. Maybe some part of him was, but he knew he had no right to be. Captains were beyond humanity. He tried to think, tried to plan using the information he had. If he heard Raph shout for him, he'd have heard Raph scream as he was cut down. That meant Raph was alive and being  held hostage. So the captain knows he can't find me, otherwise he wouldn't be using Raph against me! Raph called me Saito-kun, which must mean our cover hasn't been totally blown, but under pressure, he'll out us anyway, which will screw me even if I escape!

Those were the facts, but they didn't make his decision any easier. Luca huddled under a stairway, clutching his head and on the verge of hyperventilation. He could run and escape or risk it all to stare down a captain, and maybe, just maybe come out on top.  He wished for Amare, Irina, or even Kaz to show up and make this problem go away. He wished he wasn't a fullbringer, surely any other race would have the power to deal with this. His eyes were bloodshot, his hands were trembling. I am either going to die here or ascend past humanity. Do I turn away from the fire of creation, or stare into it? Only the weak rely on others to save them. Did you come here for nothing? Did you screw up again? Are you good enough? Are you really ready to die, if it means avoiding- Luca's thoughts swirled into a haze. He felt like he could explode. The world shook around him, and before he even knew what his answer was, he was running for the woods.

He smelled the wind, felt the ground beneath him. He had no thoughts, no coherent ones. Only instinct. Luca felt as if he could run forever, run until he was where he needed to be. Where he needed to be. Where was that? Where- Luca realized he left Raph behind. Guilt hit Luca harder than any blow could have and snapped him out of fight or flight. Raph'll be fine. You did what you had to! He'll understand that, right? Luca kept walking, still silencing his aura. Luca was at least 90% certain he was heading south. He was still getting closer to the soul society. Luca stopped by a small pond, Luca saw something resembling his reflection in the water.

He still had his stage makeup on, but it was well past the point of smearing. He looked like a scared, wild mess. Still, he had to make himself look different. His entire identity as Jaime Saito was compromised. The carefree attitude, tragic criminal past, the kyoshi warrior looking makeup he pretended to hate, it was all dead now. Except if Luca washed his face, then that too would be a dead identity for the infiltration, which was looking like it would be longer, and even deeper cover than he'd planned. He decided to take the risk, and fix the makeup a bit, just like how Nat taught him. That part of Jaime Saito could stay just for a little longer.

In the forest between two districts, Luca changed out of his white kimono, into the drab green one. Comfort was not a part of the equation. He had to look different enough from behind. The hat he plucked off some guy's head would help too. Luca had passed a million people with them on. He'd blend in better. Luca knew better than to stay in the forest till nightfall. He had to put distance between himself and the captain. Luca merged into the crowds of the evening in the next district over. Maybe he'd duck into a bar and actually try to develop a taste for sake, maybe he'd just keep walking. But despite the fear, guilt, self-loathing, and powerlessness, he was back on track to infiltrate the seireitei. I can still steal their artifacts, learn their techniques, and ascend past humanity without them ever knowing! There was a quiet sort of pride in that, and knowing that the odds of running into another captain level threat were practically zero

practically, anyway.

[Deleted]

⊰〖• ATTRIBUTES •〗⊱ Base Sealed Unsealed Strength [100] x 0.4 40 x 1.0 100 Speed [400] x 0.4 160 x 1.0 400 Reiatsu Strength [400] x 1.0 400 x 2.5 1000 Spiritual Pressure [250] x 1.0 250 x 2.5 625 Instinct [300] x 1.0 300 x 1.5 450 Senses [125] x 0.4 50 x 1.0 125 Energy Sensory [25] x 0.4 10 x 1.0 25 Healing Expertise [0] x 0.4 0 x 1.0 0 Light Aura 55% 55% Dark Aura 45% 45% Reiatsu 2500 6250 ⊰〖• SKILLS •〗⊱ Mental Analyzing Calm Mind 2 2 Battle Weapons: Sword Battle Analysis Hakuda 3 3 1 Body None - Utility Science (Physics) 3 ❀    Science: You are gifted in the sciences. A 1 indicates you have the scientific knowledge of someone with a Bachelors in Science. A 2 indicates someone with a Masters degree. A 3 indicates you have a Doctorate in Science. A 4 indicates someone whose contributions to science have earned them a Nobel Prize nomination or Laureate. As a general rule, your general scientific knowledge is 1 step lower than your specialty (i.e a 3 would be treated as a 2).

Several months had passed since Ken'ichi had been released from the grueling interrogations of Central 46, and had been granted permission to return to active duty. Still haunted by the hellish nightmare and its myriad variations that he had experienced for the past 60 odd years, Ken'ichi rarely slept peacefully through the night. This night was such a night, however the reason he slept peacefully was not the result of his trauma receding, but because he was sleeping the sleep of the truly exhausted.

It had been many long months since his return to active duty, and throughout the majority of that period, Ken'ichi personally saw it upon himself to oversee the security upgrades that he, and his new Taichou - Aramis had been developing. Security upgrades that would hopefully provide all of Soul Society some much needed insurance against the all-too-frequent invasions.

Much of the Sereitei, and even more of the Rukongai was still in ruins after the two most recent invasions from the violent Arrancar of Los Noches, and the genocidal Quincy who reside in Silbern. Rather than leave such important matters up to lesser officers, Ken'ichi spent the vast majority of his time overseeing the installation of the new defenses, and at this particular moment had just spent an exhausting 36 hours installing the first of the LREWS (Long Range, Early Warning Sensors) in the most recently completed Listening Post.

To date, seven such listening posts had been constructed in the immediate districts surrounding the Sereitei, and Ken'ichi had spent the majority of his time overseeing the construction of each, down to the most minute detail. That is, when he was not called away on some more important mission.

In fact, he had only just returned from such a mission in the Antarctic not three days prior, only to be handed a report of an unusual Reiatsu flare being detected in the 75th district. Having read the report in detail and having committed the wavelength of the flare to memory, Ken'ichi was convinced that the Reiatsu Flare shared many similarities to that of a Senkaimon (or World Penetration Gate), albeit with several distinct differences identifying it as some kind of counterfeit. Having developed his own miniaturized Senkaimon, Ken'ichi was intrigued at the thought that others might also be developing their own Senkaimon, outside the strict control and oversight of Squad 13, and was annoyed that he was away in the frigid depths of Hell racing an Arrancar, a Vandenreich, and a Saika to be first to lay claim to a mysterious monolith that had appeared suddenly in the icy hellscape.

See? This is why we need to improve our early warning system! Ken'ichi thought to himself. While we can detect unusual Reiatsu Signatures with enough precision to mount a defense, the mere presence and absence of reiatsu, and a snap shot of its signature is next to useless. Not when measured against the multiple thousands of miles that the Rukongai sprawls in every direction. And even when we finally mount a response, it usually takes us weeks to locate the exact source of the trouble - and only if it is stupid enough to make itself known.

I mean, it's good enough for your typical hollows and what not, but against the likes of an Arrancar or Vandenreich who doesn't want to be found? Useless!

Not to be thwarted however, Ken'ichi changed the scheduled roll-out, and ordered the construction of a Listening Post further out in the heartland of the Rukongai, in the hopes of detecting the signal again. Given the limitations of the technology however, Ken'ichi was unable to create such a listening post in District 75 as yet. Not only would such a listening post be days away from the nearest backup and Ken'ichi dreaded the thought of such technology being left so vulnerable, but even their most powerful radio transmitters would be unable to bridge such a distance. As such, Ken'ichi was forced to build the listening post in District 46, on the very edge of the technologies range, and hoped against hope that whomever, and whatever was operating the illegal Senkaimon would risk coming closer to the Sereitei.

As he slept the sleep of the dead, Ken'ichi was blissfully unaware that Luca and Raphael were inching towards him day by day, as their troupe of seditious performers made their way ever closer to the more prosperous districts.....

---

The following day, Ken'ichi woke feeling stiff but surprisingly refreshed. While he would normally outfit himself in his Shihakushou, and garishly colored lemon-pink laboratory coat - this operation was currently of a very sensitive nature and he in now way wished to draw any unwanted attention from the locals. Not at least, until such times as his skeleton crew could be replaced with the soon-to-arrive officers which would man the newly constructed listening post.

As a result, Ken'ichi was dressed in a simple white kimono, festooned with various pouches for him to keep his tools in. About his waist, Ken'ichi wore his trademark green and blue sash decorated with hibiscus flowers. His zanpakutou hanging from the sash in its scabbard tapped gently against his right leg as he moved. Its stylized hilt glistening in the sunlight. Screwdriver in hand, Ken'ichi was fine-tuning the antenna on top of the listening station when an electronic chirp began sounding within. By the time his junior officer rushed out to inform him that the illegal Senkaimon had just been activated again, not one district over - Ken'ichi was already landing lightly on the ground, having jumped from the roof to land lightly below. Looking over at the data printout, Ken'ichi retrieved several scattered sheets from within the structure and compared the two readouts.

"Identical! This One's gamble paid off, and our rogue friend has yet again made use of their illicit gateway. Most assuredly to take some unauthorized leave in the Human World in some sports bar or another. You - stay here, I am going to investigate. Don't leave the equipment unattended, or Accounting will likely have your head. This stuff is breaking the budget for certain, and I am sure we don't have money to spend replacing anything that gets stolen or damaged by your incomeptence."

Activating both "Sairento Satsugai" and "Kage no Kurōku" in order to hopefully catch the rogue shinigami red handed, and 'confiscate' the illegal technology for..... "research purposes", Ken'ichi swiftly exited the squat, nondescript building.

---

Unbeknownst to anyone, in Luca's haste he had fled almost directly toward Ken'ichi and was a mere hundred or so feet away. While Ken'ichi was unaware of his presence, and was too focused on locating the specific location that the illicit Senkaimon was activated - Luca would not easily spot the shadowy, indistict veil that cloaked Ken'ichi, nor hear his rapid approach due to the techniques which shielded him.

Not being the most spiritually aware individual himself, and preoccupied with his destination in the next district over, Ken'ichi would easily overlook Luca as he tried to blend within the crowd. While under normal circumstances, Ken'ichi might detect Luca's reiatsu signature, albeit be unable to locate him in a crowd - Ken'ichi's preoccupied brain barely registered the presence of an above-average reiatsu in the crowd, so focused was he on the "doorknob".

While Luca would not detect Ken'ichi visually, he would however detect an overwhelming reiatsu signature coming from somewhere directly ahead of him. Having just fled from one "Captain", Luca would almost certainly be shocked to find another "Captain" even stronger than him (400 RS vs. Kaen's 325, and 250 RS vs. Kaen's 200) directly ahead! Luca might wonder if this part of the Rukongai has a Captain's Convention, or perhaps wonder if Captains frequently patrol this far out from their walled city, still many days inland.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Techniques Activated}

Sairento Satsugai: Class 5; Cost 100; 1/10 posts
Kage no Kuroku: Class 4; Cost 150; 1/7 posts

Total Cost: 250 reiatsu
Reiatsu Remaining: 2250 / 2500

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen smiled pleasantly and released his grip on Raphael's arm. "Nope, go ahead. Best not to let a Hollow come crawling through, for everyone's sake. Let's keep the paperwork to a minimum on this one, shall we?" He commented. "Thank you for being so cooperative. I don't usually see Squad 12's be so accommodating." He added, making an insight into the division he suspected Raphael to be from. A portable Senkaimon was exactly the sort of thing Squad 12 would have been working on, after-all. As far as he was concerned, he could go easy on Raphael since he was making it easy on Kaen. That just left the other one-- and Kaen wasn't going to hold Raphael responsible for whether or not Luca returned for his comrade. Kaen waited a few moments, with Raphael, before looking over at him.

"Looks like your friend isn't coming back for you. Sorry about that. Here's hoping he can get where he has to without being caught. Ah well. He's missing out on a nice dinner. Let's take a walk, and you can explain to me what it is you think you were doing back there at the play." Kaen began walking along with a clear indication for Raphael to follow. He knew a good place out here for food. Japanese fare of course, but good Japanese fare. "I take it you know who I am then, yeah?" Kaen added, as he walked down the street. He waited for Raphael to answer before continuing. "As such, you've made my day off a little bit complicated. I don't mind if the people of the Rukongai are putting on shows like that. They've got a right to speak their minds, even if what they have to say isn't very nice. However, it's a rather different matter for one of us to be actively and openly supporting them. If you want to help the Rukongai citizens out there's better ways to do it. Which reminds me. I will need your name and Rank." Kaen added, as he seemed to find the place he was looking for and approached the door to what looked like a little hole in the wall restaurant. He pulled open the door, and held it open for Raphael.

"It's nothing personal, but if it turns out I do have to make a report about this, I'll need those for the report. Though if I'm being honest, I'm hoping this is just a big misunderstanding." He added. Kaen seemed sincere in that much, and overall was trying to present as someone who didn't want to cause anymore trouble for Raphael than absolutely necessary. Because that was the case. Kaen would much rather find a reason to let Raphael off the hook for this, but to do that, he had to run things at least partially by the books and interrogate him over it. Squad 7 had taken over the Interrogation unit after-all. But at least in this, Kaen had some freedom. Interrogation didn't have to happen in a cell, and if Raph gave him his story over dinner, that was just as good in Kaen's opinion.

"Order whatever you like, by the way. It's on me today." Kaen added as an offer, if Raphael did enter the establishment, leading the Fullbringer to a table. "And you can keep your reiatsu flaring every once in awhile if you want to attract your buddy Saito. How's his skill at reiatsu detection?" He asked.

This all was, of course, assuming Raphael hadn't tried to bolt prior. If he had, he'd find very quickly that Kaen's earlier speed hadn't been a fluke. But while Kaen was on guard against an attempt to flee, he didn't expect Raphael to do so. He didn't think Raphael would be nearly so foolish.

[Raphael Laurent]

As Kaen released his grip on Raphael’s arm, Raphael took a few steps forward, and shut the door, returning the knob into the robe he was wearing and sighed. He agreed with the man, in this case; better to keep the door shut and not let a hollow through that he’d then have to help them deal with. He didn’t want to have to worry about that whilst trying to keep his shinigami disguise. He was already maintaining this white hair trick, from part of his fullbring… Yet as the man commented about Raphael being apart of squad 12, Raphael could only give a small smile.

“Well, for one thing, there’s no need to be rude when you’re being so kind and accomadating, sir. Secondly, you’re much stronger than I am and so being rude makes no sense.” Raphael gave the gentle smile of Akihiko Watanabe whilst looking at Kaen. Though, he shrugged when the shinigami mentioned that his friend wasn’t coming back. “In all honesty, I expected that he wouldn’t be coming back for me.” Raphael nodded, at the mention of dinner, and then again when Kaen asked about Raphael knowing who he was, though he kept his head down, as if a bit ashamed. The less that he said, in this case especially, the better. While he had vague ideas about the seireitei, he didn’t have specific knowledge on the more important figures in the squads. Opening his mouth and guessing something wouldn’t have been a smart idea. Yet when Kaen muttered that he’d need Raphael’s name and rank he had to think quickly. “My name is Akihiko Watanabe, sir and, to be honest, I’m rather new and don’t really have a rank, yet. I’m still unseated…” Thankfully, he knew something of their heirarchy, though nothing beyond unseated, vice-captain and captain. He was immensely happy that he’d paid attention for those lessons.

As the two walked and talked, Raphael was rather surprised at how genuine the man was being with him and began to ponder if he’d have been so accomodating if he knew that Raphael was human. “Thank you, sir.” he said, as Kaen held the door open for him and he went inside. “I’m still a bit nervous when it comes to interacting with some of the others, even in my own squad. I kind of lived alone when I was living out here…”

He followed Kaen towards the table and sat down across from him. “That’s quite generous of you, sir. And you needn’t worry, I’ll make sure that I’m easy to feel by him. He’s fairly good at detecting reiatsu, sir. If he wants, or is even barely paying attention he’d be able to feel me. The issue is more of will he come back for me and, I think you and I have both already seen the answer to that question. I’ll keep my hopes up that he returns, though; for his sake, if no one else’s.” While he wasn’t outing Luca or himself as human, yet, he was genuinely concerned for Luca. Knowing how easy Raphael had been grabbed, it made him wonder how good their security was. If it was good? Luca was in huge trouble. Raphael was in potentially less trouble, but still didn’t want to push his luck.

[Akira Hinosai]

The first captain was terrifying...the second? Their power was intoxicating, greater than the first captain's. And both of them are looking for us. The plan had gone all wrong. Whether fate had abandoned the two fullbringers, or the soul society was far more competent than they thought, it wasn't supposed to happen. Raph, what are we doing here? Luca knew the answer to that. He thought he did. One foot in front of the other. If I look back, I am lost. He walked, waiting for the second captain to take notice of him...wherever they were. Luca was starting to think all captains just went around in plainclothes like some kind of secret police force.

He waited for the stronger captain to find him, to put the entire journey out of its misery, but it didn't happen. Luca kept walking, like Orpheus traversing the underworld, he would not look back. Unless plucked from the crowd he blended in with, Luca would keep moving. He would walk until the sun set, and then he would run, blending in with the shadows. He'd spend half the night and then some putting distance between himself and the captains. Morning saw Luca clutching his bag like a dragon as he took a short break from running. Huddling up against a tree,  and obscured by foliage. Luca only wanted to catch his breath for a bit, but before he knew it, he was asleep.

[Deleted]

Mind focused squarely on locating the illicit senkaimon, and whomever was behind it, Ken'ichi completely overlooked Luca as he blended into the crowd. Avoiding the crowded street, the cloaked shinigami leapt gracefully from rooftop to rooftop as he raced through the district toward it's outskirts. As the final buildings melted into a wide open field, Ken'ichi spied the small forested thicket that formed the boundary between the two districts. Jumping lightly to the ground, Ken'ichi sped off through the forest. Trees whipping past him in a blur of green as he raced onward, eager to reach his destination before the culprits fled the scene, and any residual reiatsu from the 'senkaimon' had completely dissipated.

Before too long, Ken'ichi approached the outskirts of the nearby district, and he slowed his pace long enough to gather his bearings before scaling the rooftops and proceeding directly toward the source of the lingering reiatsu signature. With a small hand scanner in hand, Ken'ichi followed the decay trail of the reiatsu signature to a back alley behind a number of buildings. Leaping down into the empty street, he immediately began collecting and analyzing the reiatsu signature left behind by Raph's use of the "door knob".

Hmm... What is this? The decay signature is completely wrong. Whatever created this portal to the Human World was not made by any Senkaimon Ken’ichi has ever seen. The reiatsu signature is completely alien, and there is some kind of matter-reiatsu conversion signature mixed in with the background reiatsu. New technology! How exciting! This One must figure out who, or what created this technology!

Completing his scans, and wirelessly transmitting the data to his new-fangled hand-held computer - something called an "iphone", Ken'ichi looked around to see if he could locate the culprit's responsible for this technology - so that he might interrogate their brilliant scientific minds, to glean the hidden secrets of this fabulous technology. Ken'ichi certainly hoped it was technological in origin. If it was created through some unknown spiritual technique he would be sorely disappointed. Pushing that thought far from his mind and focusing on the excitement of reverse engineering some newly developed technology, Ken'ichi sighed in frustration that his wouldbe inventor was not still in the immediate vicinity.

Taking a deep breath, Ken'ichi focused his mind and racing heart. Focusing his breathing in his core, he reached out with his limited Energy Sensory capabilities hoping against hope that the inventor of this portal device made a mistake and revealed themselves. Eureka! What have we here? Within several minutes, Ken'ichi detected the faint rhythmic pulsing of a reiatsu signature from several blocks away. Someone was deliberately announcing their presence. Shrugging his shoulders, and having no other leads, Ken'ichi followed the reiatsu signature to a nearby restaurant.

Ducking through the doorway, Ken'ichi immediately spied the vice captain of Squad 7, Kaen Youji. He was accompanied by an unseated officer who looked positively despondent and unhappy to be here. Slumped shoulders, and a completely defeated disposition, even with his limited ability to detect reiatsu, Ken'ichi could clearly tell that it was this unseated officer who was pulsing his reiatsu. He obviously wanted to be detected, but for what reason - Ken'ichi had no idea. Looking over the unknown shinigami, Ken'ichi noted he was of average height and tanned complexion. Lean of build, and with a mop of brown neatly trimmed hair. Ken'ichi noted that his only distinguishing feature was an easily overlooked scar on his left cheek. Not an entirely unattractive man, but certainly not someone to swoon over.

Walking purposefully over to Kaen, Ken'ichi bowed to his equal and announced his presence. "Kaen Fuku-Taichou. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintence. Ken'ichi Shihoin. Fuku-Taichou of Squad 12. This One has come here on official Squad 12 business pertaining to an unusual reiatsu signature detected in this district. Ken’ichi was wondering if you might know something of it? Not more than an hour ago, there was an unauthorized portal activation in this district, which This One at first believed to be an illicit Senkaimon, but initial analysis suggests is using unknown methods of generating a portal between Soul Society and the World of the Living?"

Looking down at Kaen's companion, Ken'ichi's shrewd analytical mind swiftly deduced that this line of conversation was making the unseated officer increasingly more uncomfortable. Even more so than he was previously. With a mind that would put even the most inocculous details into context, Ken'ichi would swiftly realize that Kaen's companion was not who he made out to be. This is no shinigami. The uniform is an obvious forgery. That stitching alone is of extremely poor quality, and that fabric has not been used in uniforms for over two centuries. Even factoring uniform customization, this is clearly someone's attempt at fabricating a shinigami uniform. Who are you, Ken’ichi wonders?

"Kaen Fuku-Taichou, Hinamouri-Taichou expects Ken’ichi to give her a report regarding this incident as soon as possible. Your assistance in tracking down those responsible for creating illegal portals to the human world would be most appreciated." Inclining his head slightly toward Raphael, Ken'ichi bowed respectfully to Kaen, and awaited his response. All the while, Ken'ichi surreptitiously studied Raphael looking for additional indications as to his true identity. Who are you? Who are you indeed. A new resident of the Rukongai perhaps? A recently deceased scientist of the Human World? Someone we might groom for a place within Squad 12? Who are you?

[Kaen Youji]

"You might be right, but no harm in trying. Unless you're being worn out. Not trying to kill you or anything. You've given me no reason to." Kaen informed Raphael. As Raphael explained his name and rank, Kaen gave Raphael a funny look. That's interesting. Rather new? He's at least strong enough to have made seated officer based on what I saw of his reiatsu earlier. Granted, it's not unheard of for talented Academy students to come out with that level of power, but it is rare, and I'd have heard rumors. Nothing though. Nothing of any Akihiko... A red flag had been raised. Not one that couldn't be put back down, but Kaen had taken notice of it.

The Vice Captain sat down, and noticed another figure enter behind them, in flamboyant robes. Ken'ichi Shihoin, as Kaen recalled, the newer Vice Captain of Squad 12. "Nice to see you again, Vice Captain Shihoin. I suppose this is the first we've been properly introduced, isn't it?" He commented. "If you're not too busy feel free to join us. I'm covering for Akihiko here, I don't mind covering your bill too." He offered. As Ken'ichi pointed out the unusual reiatsu, Kaen nodded. "Yes, that'd be Akihiko right here. I took him for one of your officers, as he seems to be working with some form of portable Senkaimon. But if you don't recognize him, it seems I was mistaken..." Kaen commented, his eyes flickering back over to Raphael. Although they still seemed friendly, they were now piercing through the young man. It wouldn't have been hard to tell Kaen he was mistaken about him being Squad 12. In fact, most division officers were usually proud of their Division. So why did he let Kaen get away with the misunderstanding? Unless of course...

Ken'ichi had apparently reached similar conclusions, judging by his commentary. "I see. Well, then Captain Hinamouri is looking for Akihiko here, and his friend. I lost his friend-- Saito, he's been calling them in the crowds. I've requested Akihiko here to flare his reiatsu in the hopes of drawing him back but it's seeming ineffective. Looks like his friend cut him off and left him out to dry, as it were." As he spoke, Kaen's eyes perused the menu he'd picked up from the table. He summoned over a waiter, to place an order for sake enough for three, and several trays of spicy tuna sushi and takoyaki. Not unlike Ken'ichi. "Akihiko here was traveling with a theater troupe on their way towards the Seireitei. I only just made Akihiko's acquaintence as it were, I hadn't even gotten to that part. Good as time as any to go with that. So, Akihito. What exactly were you doing with that troupe? And where are you and Saito headed?"

[Raphael Laurent]

Oh it was getting more and more interesting, to the point that Raphael was barely seeing the point in maintaining his charade anymore. But, at the same time, even if he revealed himself he couldn’t just reveal Luca. His friend was willing to risk his life for this…insanity, and it would be disrespectful and discourteous to just say they were both humans. How, then, to proceed? Should he reveal himself and say that he’d just met Saito when he arrived in the seireitei? Or should he proclaim that he met Saito in the world of the living and decided to use his own tech to travel there in a more…incognito style? Oh, the possibilities on how to respond were all too juicy and delicious.

He already knew that Kaen suspected something, he’d seen the look that the man had given him. When the other officer arrived, and began to discuss the portal that he and Luca had used, he did his best to look less guilty, and tried to stop himself from breaking into a smile. Realistically the fact that he was most likely about to be discovered didn’t bother him all that much; his mind was already racing and coming up with its own possible lies, especially about the doorknob. He knew one thing already: he would definitely reveal himself here. He just needed to wait for the best moment to do so. The other seated officer was staring at him harder than he felt comfortable with, though. If he was just analyzing Raphael to figure out whether or not he was, indeed, a Shinigami that was fine. But Raph hated the attention, as he always had.

Realizing that Kaen was beginning to realize something was significantly amiss as well, Raphael decided. Given how…amicably Kaen had treated him already, perhaps they might be a bit forgiving. Slap on the wrist and all that? Hopefully. It was always possible. Raphael shrugged at the comment of his friend simply cutting and running. He’d always expected such, and was hoping that he could’ve simply escaped. Plans, however, never go exactly as people want them to. Kaen ordered some sake and spicy tuna sushi along with Takoyaki.

As Kaen finally asked the question of why they were with the troupe, Raphael felt his mask finally crack and he couldn’t contain it anymore. His mask of despondent, disappointed unseated Shinigami melted as he smiled and started to laugh, just a bit. With a grin Raphael leaned back and pulled his shoulders back up. It might appear as though someone had possessed Akihiko Watanabe

“So, the cat’s gonna be comin’ out of the bag soon enough, so might as well rip the bandaid off immediately, yeah?” He sighed and leans back. “Alright so, as the two of you will have either guessed already or will be figuring out in a few more moments, I’m not a Shinigami. As a matter of fact, I’m a fullbringer. Sorry that I lied to you, Kaen, but I’ve actually never heard of you, until now, and I’m glad that I’ve gotten to meet you as you seem to be a pretty chill dude. Now, I am looking forward to seeing how you view me, now that you know what I am. As far as what I was doing with that troupe? I was actually just seeing, and please forgive the pun, what life is like in the dimension of souls. Spare you the gory details, I’ve got a friend in the hospital that’s aware that wanted to know what the other side was like. So I made that doorknob, which was a pain in the ass, by the way, and came over.” The source of his lie told he sighed again and looked at the ceiling. “Doorknob was a fucking failure, though… I was actually wanting to see what the place that all the weird masked monsters was like. I’ve heard its nothing but sand. Just seems weird to me. But, then again, I didn’t know what this place would be like. Far as Saito?” He shrugged. “Don’t really know what he wanted. I ran into him in the world of the living and he told me he hadn’t wanted to use his…uh, whatever its called to get back here. You know, the doorways you all open. So I just used the doorknob, and he came through with me.” He frowned just a bit, still staring at the ceiling. “So what happens, now?”

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca's eyes fluttered open to see a sky bathed in the orange light of sunset. He stretched his long arms over his head and yawned loudly. His body felt stiff and sore, but having just woken up, he couldn't remember why. For a moment he didn't even know where he was. He didn't care. Yet as the fog of sleep fully left him, the simple joy of it all vanished. He looked around frantically, like an animal looking for predators, but he found none. He examined the contents of his bag. Everything was still there. I left Raph behind. He was all alone now. I outsmarted and outmaneuvered two captains. They hadn't found him. They were looking for him and neither could track him down. That means I'm not out of the game yet! I can still ascend past humanity! It was a nicer thought to focus on, and so he did. If Ailene and Abaddon could see me now!

Luca whined in pain as he got up. His legs were sore and his body was stiff, but he figured he'd walk it off. At least when he was traveling with the actors, he got to sleep on a bed of costumes, but they were gone now, just like Raph was. Evolution requires sacrifice. Raph wasn't dead. He couldn't be. Maybe he'd see that Luca was right. Human imperfection held them back. They had to evolve. If anyone at UE saw what Luca had seen, they'd understand, but they didn't and they wouldn't. Still, he couldn't dwell on the past. He had to keep moving.

The next district was free of any overwhelming spiritual pressures, but shinigami were present. Luca eyed them mulling around the streets, looking busy. He saw some shuffle into sake shops and quaint little restaurants...or whatever the feudal japanese equivalent was. The closer one got to the seireitei, the nicer districts became, Luca knew. Yet having run so many districts through without looking at them, the difference was actually noticeable. It was so...clean! He could see the wall of the seireitei in the distance. He wasn't far now. He laughed to himself. I'm actually gonna make it!

He wasn't scared of the shinigami as he blended into the crowd again. His energy was hidden, and they weren't exactly the most observant bunch. They behaved like one one expect garrisoned soldiers to behave. Bored, lazy, undisciplined. Even so, Luca felt he could kill all of them without breaking a sweat. He'd made it past the hard part, now he was home free if he kept his wits about him. He kept walking past them, he walked past more rukongai citizens.

The entire rukongai was a place of perfect stillness. It was stagnant. Most people had an eternity here, and no way to spend it besides wait to die again. It was a mirror of the human world in some ways. The masses mulled about wasting their lives while those with power lorded over them. Sheep and wolves, except many of the sheep mistakenly believe the wolves in black clothing to be sheep themselves. It was sad, really. Luca used to think he was above the sheep. He was, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter because the wolves could still kill him. He still saw Ailene in his dreams sometimes. He always tried to reach out into the her energy, only to wake before she could hit him. My wings melted, and here I am picking up the feathers. He felt as strong as he'd got, he could never surpass her, the weakest espada while he was still human. He'd spent his whole life waiting for people to just acknowledge him as special. Luca was smart, but he could never be a scholar. He was creative, but he could never be an artist. He was put on this world to fight, and if that was all he could be, then his life would only have meaning if he could be GOOD at it.

Captains couldn't stop Luca. They were stronger, but Luca was willing to fight dirty, cut corners, and go for the throat if it meant winning. He walked for a few hours till the sun finally set, but whatever district he'd come to, the loss of sunlight meant lanterns were lit across the street, and pale warm light kept the city alive. It was...nice almost. People actually seemed to have fun here, as meaningless as it was. Even if it was shopping, revelry, and gambling, it was something. The seireitei must have been a good day's walk ahead, less if Luca could avoid the crowds. Luca finally ducked into a large inn. Music played, drinks and food were served, and Luca was able to sit down and rest for a moment. He figured it would be nice to sleep on a mat instead of the ground this time.

Music played, people danced and enjoyed eachother's company, but Luca's goals were set much higher. It had been nearly two weeks since he and Raph had come to the rukongai, and he was finally nearing stage two of the infiltration. A thing the shinigami didn't know about him is that he had nothing to lose.

[Deleted]

Ken'ichi mulled over Akihito's words, chewing on them thoughtfully like a cow would chew cud for several long moments before suddenly, with little warning - he changed gears.

"Are you hungry? You must be hungry? Ken'ichi has a few chocolate bars here if you want one. Or some sweat bean-paste rolls. But This One much prefers the chocolate from the Human World. Don't you?"

The change in his demeanor was offputting, and created a jarring juxtaposition from his studious dissection of Raph but mere moments before. Fumbling through his myriad of pockets, Ken'ichi pulled out two king-size Mars bars, and offered one to the fullbringer, while unwrapping a second and gleefully savoring its milky, choclately goodness, as he took a large bite and savored each morsel. Re-wrapping the remainder of the chocolate, it disappeared somewhere on his person almost as quickly as it appeared. Smiling warmly, Ken'ichi pulled up a nearby chair, and began:

"So This One thinks perhaps you might want to start at the beginning. How did you and your companion - Saito was it? - come by such a fantastic interdimensional portal device. Do you mind if Ken'ichi takes a look? This One wasn't lying when One said they were the Fuku-Taichou of Squad 12, but seeing as you are from the Human World, that revelation probably does not mean much to you. Ken'ichi is scientist, much like yourself, One assumes. Don't look so shocked. Yes, while your surroundings might give the impression that we are all living in some feudal backwater, our grasp of modern technology might surprise you. Only last week, Jeff was showing us how matter reconfiguration could be performed with a 20% reduction in energy costs! One only need to reverse the polarity on the transducer matrix and hook it up to a flux capacitor in order to draw power from a null future.

"You look like a fish out of water. Don't tell Ken'ichi that you don't have flux capacitors where you come from? Didn't the esteemed Doctor Brown create one in the 1980s, and use it to power your wheeled temporal conveyance? We improved upon the technology of course. Micronized it. Converted it to a reiatsu-based energy source. Can't seem to figure out the temporal mechanics though, but.....

"This One digresses. Ken'ichi would be keen to hear how you developed such a miniature portal device. Sadly, This One cannot allow you to keep it you understand. Politics and all that. But were Ken'ichi to let you keep such technology, his superiors would - what is the phrase? 'Go Ballistic?' Yes, This One believes that is the expression in your world. There would be an inquiry, and lots of arguing. And it would all end with the Captain Commander ordering the complete eradication of you, your friend, and anyone remotely involved with you. Ken'ichi assumes given your forthright demeanor that you are a member of Uzaki Enterprises yes? It would be the most logical deduction. XCution would be far less open about their true nature, and most people of your world have little knowledge of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, or any of the other spiritual realms. Well, outside of that Tite Kubo fellow. He is surprisingly accurate in his descriptions.... Must find the source of the information leak. But - Ken'ichi is rambling again.

"It is so nice to meet a fellow scientist from the Human World. In any case, as Ken'ichi was saying - The Captain Commander will explode, literally - and he would almost certainly order the destruction of Uzaki Enterprises, and everyone associated with them. Something, something, about the 'Security of Soul Society and the Sereitei' being of utmost importance and 'Such a device creates a security vulnerability that can be exploited by our enemies' blah, blah, blah.....

"Now, you wouldn't want to be responsible for an interdimensional incident on such a grand scale, and Ken'ichi loathes the paper work involved so.....

"A proposal: You give Ken'ichi the device, perhaps in exchange for one of his own personal inventions - and Ken'ichi does not report this to his superiors. You and Ken'ichi can keep this as our little secret. Oh, and Kaen of course. Besides - many of us want to work closer with Uzaki Enterprises, but well - orders being what they are, we aren't technically supposed to. But, if nobody knows, Ken'ichi is sure that this could pave the way to a very profitable scientific exchange. What say you?"

Speaking at a rapid-fire pace, and meandering off along several tangents throughout his monologue, Ken'ichi laid out his proposal with Raph, confident that Kaen would err to his greater jurisdiction pertaining to all things scientific, and agree with his assessment that this incident might provoke a full-scale war between Soul Society and Uzaki Enterprises. Something that neither side would want. Prior to asking Raph his opinion on the matter, Ken'ichi's verbose monologue gave no room for either Kaen nor Raph to interject, or interrupt. That and it was pretty obvious that even if they did interrupt his train of thought, Ken'ichi probably wouldn't hear it anyway - so engrossed was he by his mental flowchart leading to his inevitable conclusion.

With the question left hanging in the air, Ken'ichi retrieved his chocolate from the mysterious folds of his kimono, and again savored a large bite of the dripping caramel confection. Seconds later, a bag of what could only be described as Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans (yes the same ones from the Harry Potter Franchise) appeared on the table before them, and Ken'ichi nonchalantly offered the candied sugar beans to both Kaen and Raph.

"Don't mind the candy. We were reverse engineering the concept from your Wizarding World. Haven't quite got the earwax flavoured beans down yet, so don't eat the yellow ones. They taste more like beeswax at the moment."

[Kaen Youji]

Kaen gave a polite smile as "Akihito" came clean to them. He absorbed the man's words with consideration. Ken'ichi's presence now made this more complicated. Kaen had to be mindful of how he acted in front of another Vice Captain. While Kaen was pretty sure he wouldn't get anything more than a stern lecture at worst, he did have to be mindful that Ken'ichi could report up the chain or make a complaint about Kaen if they disagreed with how he handled it. It put Kaen in a tricky situation between how he wanted to handle it, and how he probably should handle this. This did represent a major breach in security, after-all. Though then again, that probably fell more on the 10th? There weren't standing orders to deal with Fullbringers in the Seireitei... Sure Kaen was an experienced officer, but there was always a time and place for some good old fashioned malicious compliance~

Fortunately, while Kaen considered his response, Ken'ichi took lead, holding out chocolate towards Raphael. Kaen gave Raphael a look and quietly, under the table, shook his hand from side to side, vigorously in a "no"-like gesture. Kaen listened to Ken'ichi's ramblings, trying to make sense of them. A great number of terms were completely lost on Kaen, and it showed on his face. Flux capacitors? Temporal Conveyance? Kaen understood these words in isolation, but in conjunction... he had no idea. But Ken'ichi had struck upon a few good points. Specifically inquiring as to whether he hailed from a specific group in the Human World or not. It also seemed like Ken'ichi was on the same page in wanting to avoid worsening relations between the Human World and the Spiritual World. But it seemed Ken'ichi had missed one other point.

"I don't take your lie personally. I'm used to people lying to me. If you know something more about "Saito" if that is his actual name, I really do stress you tell me what you can. Frankly, I'm on the same page as Vice Captain Shihoin, here. I'd much rather not have to let the Captain Commander know that Fullbringers have found a way to crack their way into Soul Society. If Saito is like you-- from the World of the Living, it's all the more imperative that we catch up with him and get him back safely before someone else figures out that a Fullbringer's running around. Which reminds me." Kaen added. "You've got another trick up your sleeve I noticed. Your reiatsu signatures are similar to that of a Shinigami's. How are you managing that?" He asked.

"But since we're all getting on the same page anyways, if you truly don't know me, as Ken'ichi says, I'm Kaen Youji of the Seventh Division. Until very, very recently I was my division's third officer." Kaen explained. "Now, since Ken'ichi and I have handled our introductions, why don't you go ahead and tell me yours, "Akihiko"?" Kaen asked, with a smile and a wink. At this point, given Raph was coming clean anyways, Kaen was pretty sure that he was running under a false name to help fit in. It would fit with the M.O. so far. He was pretty sure "Saito" was probably a fake name as well, though how much Raphael truly knew about his teammate was unknown.

"In... any case. If you're still willing to cooperate, I'll tell you a little bit about what you want to know. Can't tell you everything, but I can tell you at least a few things." Kaen informed him, folding his hands in front of him, as the server arrived with the sake and laid it out in front of the three of them. "Though, if you are from the human world, guess I should ask if you're of legal drinking age?" Kaen asked, grabbing a bottle and pouring his cup full of sake. He glanced at the candy Ken'ichi was offering. "Errr.... I appreciate the offer Ken'ichi, but I think I'll pass."

--------------

As far as Luca was concerned, the massive walls of the Seireitei were only part of the problem. Unbeknownst to him, access beyond the white walls of the Seireitei was heavily restricted. The only way through was the four massive gates on each of the cardinal directions of the fortress nation. And of course... each gate was defended by an appropriate guardian. Though he wouldn't be visible from afar, as Luca finally cleared the last section of the Rukongai, before reaching the walls of the Seireitei, he'd see the massive, multi-ton gate that rested in front of the white walls. It was shut, of course, and standing before it was a colossal figure. Standing roughly 11 feet in height was a massive, hulking armored figure.. Indeed the armor almost seemed cumbersome for how thick it was, but also completely impenetrable at a glance. The figure stood before the gate in utter silence, and could easily have been mistaken as a statue, save that as one got closer, they might spy a pair of eyes behind the visor, silently and stoically scanning whoever approached him. Luca's last major obstacle to penetrating Soul Society. It would be almost impossible to get into the Seireitei without this figure's approval.

[Raphael Laurent]

Raphael watched the man that seemed to identify himself as both “Ken’ichi” and “This One” with a bit of a confused stare when he offered a candy bar. Raphael, however, would hold up a hand of politely refusing, something that seemed to have been good from what he saw from the other man that seemed to be saying no. Raphael listened to Ken’ichi as he began, nodding at certain intervals and, at times, opening his mouth to speak but quickly shutting it again when the man simply continued on. And he listened…and listened……and listened. Before he even knew what, exactly, was going on the man started talking about flux capacitors and transducer matrices.

Does… Is this guy talking about “Back to the Future”? How…in the hell do Shinigami even have access to that movie? And, more importantly, does this guy think that it’s real? Yet the more that the man went on, the more that Raphael found himself agreeing with certain aspects of what he was saying. While aspects such as captain commander and squad 12 meant little to him, the phrase of ‘Go ballistic’ was one that Raphael recognized quite readily. Yeah, that made sense. He was pretty sure he would too, were he to find out that someone had the ability to break into his highly fortified dimension where only the dead came. But when he continued onto saying that Raphael must be from Uzaki Enterprises, which wasn’t wrong, because he was so truthful, Raphael felt a bit insulted.

He wasn’t wrong, though. Raph wasn’t willing to have the blood of UE on his hands for what basically amounted to a vanity project. Still leaning back a bit, Raphael’s eyes must’ve been a bit wide after what he’d just listened to, but then it came to the other man’s turn. This one was far more blunt in his requests, nor did he include information on any other movies, and asked several pertinent questions. Raphael studied the two men, first Ken’ichi and then Kaen. It was odd to see Shinigami being so…agreeable. Once more, at the mention of candy, Raphael shook his head, with a hand raised, trying to be as polite as possible, while sifting through what he was going to say.

“Ok, uh, wow… That’s a LOT to unpack just from the first part of that conversation.” He looked up at Ken’ichi. “To…start with, neither flux capacitors nor transducer matrices are real. They’re what we in the living world call science fiction terms; words made up to make a fictional situation sound more realistic. There has never been a Doc Brown that had the capacity or know-how to set up such a thing as time travel, unfortunately. No Deloreans that I know of can. As far as reconfiguration, however, that’s an exciting prospect.” He reached into the shirt that he was wearing and pulled out the doorknob and tossed it to Ken’ichi. “Far as our entry method, here ya go. The bulk of the design was easy enough. The hardest part was designing something that actually did a matter to reishi conversion. Not gonna bore you with that, though. You can keep it, regardless. And while I do work for Uzaki Enterprises, my decision to be straight with you is my own. I didn’t have to, and am not under any orders or company policies that I’m aware of.” He took a breath and then looked back at Kaen, but addressed them both.

“So, let’s start this right, yeah? Name’s Raphael Laurent, nice to meet ya both and I’ll try to remember your name there, Kaen and you, as well, Ken’ichi. And yes, I know Saito quite well. Ironically, he also works for Uzaki Enterprises, though his real name is Luca. He’s one of two people that I know that wanted to acquire similar power to Shinigami, though I don’t know how he intends to do this so, don’t ask.” His mouth curled into a smile for the second part of his demonstration and he held up his right arm where a thin gold bracelet was. “Far as the second part, it’s this little thing here. I worked with someone to get this thing made, originally to hide easier during emergency situations and realize that it would work in this case, as well. I can alter my signature to be different feelings, Shinigami, human, hollow, just about anything... In truth, though, I didn’t actually have any questions or requests or anything. I mostly came along to make sure that we had a plan B, in case something like…well, this happened. Oh, yeah. I’m of legal age. I’m not as used to drinking sake, but vodka isn’t too different, I’ll bet. Beer uses hops, vodka uses potatoes and sake, if I’m remembering right, usually uses rice. At least it used to. I’m a bit of an open book, though. If there’re any other questions you’ve got for me, as well, feel free to ask. You’ve been cool enough to me, that I don’t see the harm.”